


Uncle Bucky

by arrowsong



Series: Ghosts that We Knew - Snapshots [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Criminal Minds, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 20:04:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3146927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arrowsong/pseuds/arrowsong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hotch drops his son Jack off at his god mother's new apartment - one she happens to be sharing with two super soldiers - while he goes to New York to visit Beth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Uncle Bucky

**Author's Note:**

> Just some Winter time fluff and Domestic Bucky feels.

Bing Crosby crooned on about a white Christmas in the background as Charlie watched large, fluffy flakes of snow dance in the air, from the window in her living room. When she woke this morning the apartment was colder than the surface of the ice planet Hoth, and it wasn't until after she opened her blinds she knew why. At some point during the night the entire city was buried under a good two feet of snow. Part of her wondered if she would ever get use to this kind of winter, or would she always find it so magical – like out of the Christmas stories her dad would read to her as a kid.

Adding another log to the fire she had roaring in the old-fashioned fireplace she curled back up on the couch with her sketchpad, waiting for them to arrive. It was one of those rare occasions where she actually had the entire apartment to herself while Steve and James were out on their respective missions. She both loved, and hated days like these. She loved having the time off, and the place to herself to do as she please, unfortunately doing as she pleased often left her worrying for both their safety. Luckily she had something planned for the day to distract her, and keep her from doing something crazy like calling Reid to go out for a lecture sixteenth century Russian literature, followed by a presentation about the political and philosophical complexities surrounding the conflicts in Eastern Europe. A mistake she had made in the past, and vowed never to repeat again.

The brusque triad of rapid knocks at her door informed Charlie that her company had arrived. She could recognize that knock anywhere. Tossing her half completed sketch on the coffee table, she hurled the blanket to the other side of the couch. After sauntering over to the front door, opening it wide, she came face to face with Hotch and his son, Jack. A giant grin rolled across her face when she saw Jack, still holding his dad's hand, beaming back up at her.

"Aunt Charlie," he yelled, releasing his father's hand to throw his arms around her legs in a vice like hug.

"Hey kiddo," she greeted bending down to give him a proper hug, ruffling his hair in the process. "Morning boss," she greeted looking up at Hotch.

"Morning Charlie. Thanks again for doing this," Hotch greeted her with a quick peck on the cheek. "Jack has a report he has to write for English, about his hero. He was wanting to write about Captain America," he gave Charlie a knowing look, fully aware of who her new room-mate was, not envious of the day she was about to have in his absence. "There is an exhibit at the Smithsonian about him, do you think you'd be able to-"

"I think we can manage to find some time for us to go to the museum. What do you say kiddo, should we invite uncle Spencer to go to the museum with us?" The face Jack made in response had Charlie doubled over with laughter, even Hotch couldn't help the tiny smile from forming at the corner of his lips.

"We want him to learn, not drain the will to live from him," Hotch warned with a touch of amusement twinkling behind his otherwise stern visage. Chuckling Charlie agreed, taking the backpack filled with Jack's things from his dad.

"Be sure to give Beth my love."

"I will," Hotch promised. "Are you sure you don't mind doing this. I can just as easily take him to Haley's sister's place."

"We'll be fine," Charlie assured him with a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder.

"I'll be back late tonight to pick him up," Hotch went over his usual spiel with Charlie, even though she'd been babysitting Jack since Haley was still alive. "Don't get him too hopped up on sugar while he's here." He gave her a pointed, knowing, glance.

"Come on Aaron, how else am I suppose to be fun, aunt Charlie?" She teased. "Listen, why don't you spend the night in New York. Come back tomorrow. Jack doesn't mind camping out in the living room, do ya partner?" She asked, exaggerating her natural Southern accent to make Jack giggle.

"Are you sure?"

"Jack's a good kid, and I love spending time with my Godson. Besides, it's been, what, almost two months since you've seen Beth? I think you've earned a weekend away. If anything comes up I know how to reach you. Besides I have Uncle Derek and Aunt Penelope on speed dial if I need any immediate help."

"What about," he eyed Jack standing at the back of the hallway looking around the new, spacious apartment in awe, "your friends?"

"It's just me for now, both of them are out. Not to worry, I'll handle it if they come home while Jack is here."

"Thank-you, again for doing this. I appreciate it," Hotch leaned in and kissed Charlie again on the cheek before saying good-bye to his son. Crouching in front of his son Hotch held him tight and whispered, "now you remember to be good for your aunt Charlie, and be sure to get all your homework done, okay buddy?"

"Yes, Dad," Jack agreed clutching his father tightly.

Standing back up, Hotch looked Charlie in the eyes, a tiny appreciative smile flickered on his face. "Thank-you, again." He hugged her once more for good measure.

Clapping her hand on his back, Charlie stepped back form the embrace. "Get going, you're going to miss your flight," she laughed. "And I like coffee," she added, informing Hotch how he could possibly repay her for giving him some extra time with his girlfriend.

Chuckling Hotch replied, "I was thinking maybe a cheesecake brownie."

"Ooh, yeah. Do that," laughed Charlie. Draping an arm around Jack's shoulders they watched as Hotch walked down the hall towards the elevator. Just as he was about to get in he turned back, and waved at them one last time before getting in and disappearing until tomorrow morning.

Stepping back into the apartment, Charlie shut the door behind her and Jack and turned the lock. "So," she asked turning around to look for the boy. "What should we do first? Have you had breakfast?"

"Yeah, dad and I stopped for pancakes before coming here," Jack explained looking around at the strange, new apartment. "Aunt Charlie, why did you move? I liked you old apartment better."

"You did?" she mused, coming up behind Jack, and heading to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee in her to go mug. "Why's that?" She wondered leaning on the breakfast bar as Jack hopped up on one of the stools to look at her.

"You were closer to the park where we could play soccer," he explained. Looking down the hall he saw the two bedrooms and the bathroom he sat with a pensive look on his ten year-old face. "Is it because those men took you, and hurt you?" he asked thoughtfully, running his fingers over the white scars that now permanently marred her wrists from when Ken Olsen and Richard Rotmann bound her wrists with barbed wire.

"Yeah," Charlie agreed softly under the young boys soft and gentle touch. "I live with friends now, and they keep me safe so that doesn't happen again."

"That's good," Jack agreed. "I'm glad that you're okay. I don't want you to go away the way mum did."

His words filled Charlie's heart with lead. "Oh sweet pea," she came around the bar, enveloping the boy in the biggest hug she could muster. "I'm not going anywhere. Your aunt Charlie is going to be around for a long, long time. I promise you that." The feeling of little arms wrapping around her and squeezing her tight and the soft voice whispering in her ear, "I love you, Aunt Charlie," was one of the few things that truly made Charlie Rhys' heart melt and made her incredibly grateful that Hotch and Haley chose her to be their son's Godmother.

"How about we go to the museum so you can get that icky report done and out of the way, and then you can help me get this place ready for Christmas. I have eggnog, gingerbread men and a tree in desperate need of decorating. That sound good?"

"Did you make the cookies?" asked Jack warily. Her lack of culinary skills had not gone unnoticed by the boy during his numerous stays with her.

"No, I bought them from the store – and I made sure to get lots of icing and candy for you to decorate them with while I was at it."

"I guess that's okay then," Jack agreed. Quickly he helped Charlie fold up the blanket she had been nestled under while waiting for him to arrive, and she changed into a thick sweater while Jack watched cartoons on the television.

"Hey Jack," Charlie called, emerging from the room she and James had been sharing for the last six months. "Before we go there is something important I want to discuss with you."

She heard the click of the television turning off as Jack wandered into the front hall where Charlie was sitting on and small, old bench Bucky brought home; getting her old battered riding boots on. "What is it?" he asked with wide eye wonderment.

"You know how I was telling you about these friends I live with now – well one of them is very, very special to me. Now he's away on a mission, but he might come back while you're here."

"What's he do?" asked Jack inquisitively.

"He's an agent," explained Charlie vaguely. She wanted to tell Jack about Bucky, but she wasn't sure how much detail to go into, or how to go about explaining SHIELD to an ten year-old.

"Like you and dad?"

"Kind of," she agreed. "But he doesn't work for the FBI – he's with a different agency. Anyways kiddo, as I said, he is really very special to me but he sometimes has difficulty showing his emotions, and he might not appear to be all that friendly. You see a very long time ago some bad men took him."

"Like the ones who took you?" wondered the young boy.

His dad explained to him what happened to Auntie Charlie before he took Jack to see her in the hospital, how some bad men broke into her apartment and took her. They'd planned to hurt her, the same way that man hurt his mom, for what her dad had done to his daughter, but Uncle Rossi and Uncle Derek got to her in time. Of course Aunt Charlie was smart, not uncle Spencer smart, but smart enough to buy time until the team could find her. He spent hours working on her get well card, and even had some of his friends at school sign it for her. The sight of her face lighting up as she smiled while reading the card always made jack feel good. He liked it when Aunt Charlie smiled.

"Kind of, except these men were really, really bad. Like evil, bad. They did horrible things to my friend, and they hurt him a lot," Charlie paused, trying to keep herself from crying as she mentally recounted what HYDRA had done to Bucky over the years, the experimentation, and the torture he endured as the Winter Soldier. It still made her sick to think about what he'd gone through. "He's a lot better now," she explained wiping away a few tears, "but sometimes he doesn't feel very good because of it. I want you to promise me that you won't be upset if he doesn't act very friendly towards you, and locks himself in his room. I want you to know it's nothing personal kiddo. It just means he's not feeling too good, and he wants to be alone. You understand?"

"I understand Auntie," Jack promised.

Wrapping him up in another big hug Charlie chuckled, "well you're pretty smart guy, I figured you would. Come on, lets get going and maybe we can get some hot chocolate on our way back." He wasn't even under her care for twenty minutes and she knew she wouldn't be keeping that promise to Aaron about the sugar.

Enthusiastic about the prospect of hot chocolate, Jack eagerly threw on his Jacket and boots while Charlie handed him a pair of mittens and a hat. Shortly afterwards they left the warmth of her apartment and battled their way through the cold towards the subway where they rode into the city towards the museum. After a rather uneventful train ride and a bit of scurrying to keep out of the way of Christmas shoppers Jack and Charlie finally made it to the Smithsonian.

* * *

Walking through the exhibit Charlie stayed close to Jack as he wandered about looking at all of the Captain America artefacts. He chatted with her excitedly about what he'd read on some of the items, and regaled her with pieces of Captain America trivia he learned on his own. God bless Wikipedia. What struck Charlie, however, was the unusually long period of time Jack spent on the portion of the exhibit featuring the Winter Soldier aka James Buchanan Barnes aka her boyfriend.

"Hey, what'chou looking at kid?" she asked coming up behind him as he stared up at the black and white face laughing alongside Steve. In light of what happened in DC a couple years back, the exhibit on Captain America was expanded to include the new information on the Winter Soldier and the collapse of SHIELD. At some point during the skirmishes between the Winter Soldier and Captain America, someone managed to get a few pictures of Bucky. Charlie didn't even recognize him. She knew it was him, she could recognize the face – just not the man. There was a look in his eyes, wild and feral, but also pained and terrified, it broke Charlie's heart; she didn't know the man in this photograph. Here he was a cold, trained killer, such a contrast to the happy go lucky, charming idiot she had grown accustomed to sharing her Pad Thai with every Thursday night, and sleeping next to every night when their schedules allowed it.

"Aunt Charlie," Jack asked, tearing his eyes away from the video display for the first time to look up at her. "Was the Winter Soldier a bad man?"

Every muscle in Charlie's body tensed as her fingers dug slightly into Jack's shoulder. "Jack, the man in those pictures did some terrible things, and he hurt a lot of people, but that doesn't make him a bad man. You see sugar, he did all those terrible things because he was hurt, and he was scared. Some evil men took him, and they hurt him real bad like, so that he was afraid that if he didn't do what they told him, they would hurt him even more. But he had a good friend-"

"Captain America," exclaimed Jack excitedly.

"Yes, Captain America helped his friend, and he is recovering from everything the bad men did to him. He's trying to redeem himself for all the bad things he did in his past, and he even helps Captain America now by working for the good guys. That takes a very special kind of strength Jack, one that not too many people have. It's a strength that comes form within, when you are truly a good person at your core."

"Like you Aunt Charlie," Jack stated matter of factly. "When you turned your dad in to Uncle Rossi, because even though it hurt you a lot it was the right thing to do and it meant he'd stop hurting all those people?"

"Kind of like that, yeah," agreed Charlie hesitantly. She knew Hotch explained to Jack the circumstances surrounding Charlie and her father as broadly and in as general terms as possible.

The media knew her father Lewis Rhys better as the Springsteen Strangler, the man who killed thirty-six women over a nine-year period. Last year he was executed in her home state of Tennessee. It wasn't revealed to the public until after Charlie was kidnapped by the father of one of her father's victims, that she was in fact the person who placed the anonymous call that led to her father's arrest. The guilt she felt over that decision led to a sixteen year estrangement between Charlie and her father, until she went along with Hotch to conduct a series of death bed interviews with him in the hours leading up to his execution. Despite everything he had done Charlie still loved her father but she did not mourn his death. She grieved for the loss of the life they had together when she was growing up – but that was all.

Silently, Jack looked back at the face of the dark haired man standing next to his idol, Steve Rogers. He'd seen this man's face before. Gazing up at the pained look on his aunt's face, Jack elected not to say anything to her. He didn't want to make his aunt upset. He liked it when Charlie smiled or laughed, she was a lot like his dad though – they never smiled much. "Can we go get hot chocolate now?" he asked, when she caught him studying her face.

"You have enough for your report?" she asked looking skeptical.

Jack nodded vigorously to the point his hat flopped about on his head and almost fell to the floor.

"Alright, well I think we need to make a stop in the gift shop so you can get something to commemorate your visit to the Captain America exhibit," she dug a twenty dollar bill from her bag. "Here, go buy yourself something. Anything you want. Merry Christmas," she handed him the bill, and followed him to the gift shop.

After purchasing a few stocking stuffers, mostly for Reid, Charlie and Jack headed back to the subway to make for home. No matter how often Charlie asked, Jack refused to show her what he bought from the gift shop. As promised, they got off the train a stop early and grabbed a cup of hot chocolate before returning to the apartment.

* * *

Once they were home Charlie helped Jack out of his winter clothes, and started another fire to keep the apartment warm and cozy. She suggested Jack start writing his report now, with all the information from the museum still fresh in his mind, and she would do a bit more work on a sketch she was doing on a cold case for some cops from Philadelphia.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Jack worked on his paper while Charlie curled up on the couch with her sketchbook, her good pencils, and a picture of the skull, with all the necessary tissue markers, taped to the top of the page. The sweet melodies of instrumental Christmas jazz floated softly through the apartment as the two worked on their respected projects.

After about two solid hours of uninterrupted work, Jack set his pencil down. "Done," he announced looking over to his Godmother.

Looking up from her near completed sketch, Charlie smiled in his direction. "Yeah? You want me to read it over for any mistakes?"

"No," Jack replied immediately, the severity of his tone startled Charlie. "It's a surprise."

"Well alrighty then," she replied, still slightly take aback. Clapping her hands on her legs Charlie again discarded her incomplete sketch, and wandered over to the kitchen where Jack remained seated. "Well looks like we have a really tough decision to make," she informed him. "Do we decorate the tree or cookies first?" She wondered, placing her hands on her hips.

"Cookies," announced Jack gleefully.

"Why am I so completely, and totally _not_  surprised," Charlie teased as she rummaged around in the refrigerator. Setting the carton of eggnog on the polished kitchen counter she scrounged up two clean glasses, and poured them each a glass of eggnog before turning on the dishwasher – a task James was supposed to do before he left for Uruguay two days ago. "You clear the table, and I'll go get the goods," she instructed walking down the hall to her bedroom to grab the bag of supplies from the market.

Returning a moment later, Charlie dropped the bag of goodies onto the kitchen table. Tired of jazz and in the mood for something a little more classic Charlie spun the circle on her iPod until she found her collection of Christmas classics sung by all her favourites, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Dean Martin. Sitting back down at the table Charlie and Jack unpacked the bags and started decorating the two packs of six gingerbread men.

Twenty minutes passed, and they managed to finish a pack when the sound of the front door unlocking grabbed their attention. Unsure which of her super soldiers had returned home ahead of schedule, Charlie got up from the kitchen table, telling Jack to stay seated while she went to see who was at the door. She didn't make it to the door. A familiar Brooklyn accent called out her name, and seconds later the voice was followed by the man rounding the corner stepping into the kitchen.

Unable to fight the grin spreading across her face, Charlie giddily closed the distance between her and James by running quickly towards him, throwing herself in his arms.

His grin matched hers as he dropped his bag on the ground to catch her as she launched herself full speed at him. "Hello to you too," he crooned in her hair before kissing the side of her head. Setting her back on the ground, he held her a little longer in his arms, relishing in the relief of being home, and seeing Charlie again. Just a couple days passed since he said his good byes to her at the front door, but it always managed to feel so much longer. The sweet smell of her honey scented soap mixed with coconut shampoo, and the warmth of her skin always brought him a great sense of comfort; he never felt like he was truly home until he inhaled that sweet combination.

Opening his eyes, he noticed a strange pair of eyes staring at the couple from the kitchen table. "Uh sweetheart," he whispered in her ear. "Who's the kid?"

Stepping back, Charlie looked at the confusion on Bucky's face before looking back to Jack. This wasn't quite how she planned on introducing the pair. She'd hoped to cut James off at the door to warn him about their company, looks like she'd be improvising instead.

"Jack, come here." She waved the young boy over, "there is someone I want you to meet."

Sliding back in his chair, Jack hopped down from his seat, and made his way over to his aunt, and the man she'd just been hugging. Shyly he stood behind aunt Charlie, looking up at the stranger, not failing to note the metal fingers sticking through his leather fingerless gloves.

Crouching down in front of Jack, Charlie smiled warmly at her Godson. "Jack, I'd like you to meet James. He's a friend of mine, the one I was telling you about, the one who is very special to me. You want to say hello?"

Jack didn't say a word. Without taking his eyes off the tall, muscular brunet standing before him, he stepped forward; before a word could be spoke he wrapped his arms tightly around the man's thighs. Resting his head against his waist, squeezing him as firmly as his small body would allow.

Startled, Bucky looked to Charlie before staring down at the little boy hugging his legs. After a moment, he relaxed, only slightly, and pressed his good arm on the kids back. "What's that for, kid?" he asked once Jack backed up.

"Aunt Charlie said that some bad guys hurt you, and you don't feel so good because of it. When I don't feel good, my dad always hugs me and I feel better. I just wanted to help you feel better." He shifted from side to side as he addressed Bucky.

"That was very sweet of you, Jack," Charlie smiled fondly in the young boys direction.

Jack looked back at her before staring up at James. "Did I help?" His eager face filled with concerned as he started plotting what to do next if his hugs didn't help the former assassin.

Crouching down in a similar fashion as 'aunt' Charlie, Bucky smiled at the kid ruffling his hair. "I feel great now, thanks kid."

Jack stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Bucky's neck. This time Bucky did not hesitate to return the embrace, enveloping the young boy in his hulking hold.

"You'll keep aunt Charlie safe, won't you?" he asked after moment's hesitation. His voice so serious and quiet, it was scarce to believed that it belonged to a ten year-old.

"Well kiddo, your aunt Charlie is pretty tough, but I am going to do everything in my power to make sure she is kept safe, and lives a nice, long, happy life." His eyes flitted from Jack's to Charlie's as she watched her boys interact. It was a promise he made to her back in the hospital, and renewed every morning when they woke for the day.

"I told y'all already. I'm living forever."

"Good," Jack nodded. " I don't want her visiting my mom."

Bucky was about to ask why he didn't want Charlie to visit the boys mother when he saw Charlie shaking her head furiously in the background. "Hey Jack," Charlie called, focusing the boy's attention back on her. "I have a box of candles out in the living room. Why don't you pick one out and we'll use it tonight to talk to your mom. It's been a while."

Again, Jack meandered into the next room giving Charlie and Bucky a moment alone. Pulling her boyfriend down the hall she waited to hear the clanging of glass jars against one another before turning her back to the living room. Certain they were far enough for Jack to hear, Charlie explained in a low voice.

"Jack's mom, Hotch's wife Haley, was murdered a few years back by a killer of the name George Foyet. He targeted Hotch and his family personally after Hotch refused to make a deal with him in Boston. Jack was in the house when it happened. Foyet would have killed him too, but Aaron had a special hiding place for Jack, and managed to kill Foyet before he had a chance to find Jack."

"Jesus Christ," Bucky exhaled looking back in the direction of the young boy. He knew Charlie's boss' wife had died, but Charlie never talked about it and he didn't ask. Looked like everyone in the BAU had their own tragic history. He was starting to understand why Charlie bonded with them so well.

"Haley and Hotch made me Jack's God mother when he was born. I babysit Jack from time to time for Hotch. He's in New York right now visiting Beth so Jack is going to be camping out in the living room tonight. Aaron has been absolutely amazing with Jack in dealing with Haley's death. One of the things they do is they'll light a candle so Jack can talk to his mom." Charlie explained a couple other details, chewing at the skin around her nails, making her fingers bleed, again.

"Stop biting," Bucky scolded taking her hand in his. She always bit when she was anxious. He was about to ask when the sound of the boy's foot steps on the hardwood alerted them that he had picked his candle. Both adults turned their heads and looked back at the young boy, holding a stunning green candle with stripes of white and silver glitter infused in the wax, as it sat nestled in a hand crafted glass jar.

"You find the one you want to use to talk to your mom with?" asked Charlie with a smile. It was green; green was always Haley's favourite colour. It was her favourite colour as well; it reminded her of the farmer's fields behind her house where she grew up as kid, the ones she'd run through on her way to school, and lounge around in the hot days of summer. Green held happy memories for her – that's why she always bought at least one green candle at Christmas.

Jack nodded. Reaching down, Charlie took the candle from the kid's hands. "Well why don't I set this on the counter for now, and we'll light it before you go to bed tonight. Sound good?" she asked checking over she shoulder. Again, Jack nodded. Coming back to the hall where her boys remained standing, Charlie resumed her place by James' side, taking his hand in hers. "Do you want to show James the Christmas cookies we were decorating?" Charlie asked Jack excitedly.

"Okay," Jack agreed enthusiastically. Taking Bucky by the other hand, his bionic hand, Jack led him towards the table they'd been sitting at before he arrived home. Bucky was in awe of the boy and how easily he took hold of the metal hand, he didn't even flinch - just like his Aunt Charlie.

"Do you want one?" Jack asked politely, showing off his talents with a few tubes of coloured icing and a dozen assorted candies.

"Did your aunt Charlie bake them?" Bucky teased Charlie, shooting her a lazy grin and laid back chuckle as she swatted him.

"They're store bought," she muttered bitterly,  _Jackass_  she thought spotting the smug expression plastered on his face.

"Ah, calm down sweet heart. I'm only teasing. Your cooking hasn't killed me... yet." He pulled her in close, planting a couple affectionate kisses on the side of her head. His grip tightened on her as she tried to pull away, laughing. "Mmm, not so fast," he whispered, holding her even closer.

"Go take a shower," she groaned wriggling free from his hold. "You reek from your tactical uniform," she looked over at Jack, who watched the couple with a giant grin plastered on his beaming face. He was loving seeing his Aunt Charlie so happy.

"You usually like the way I smell," Bucky whispered in a low voice for only Charlie to hear as he nipped at her earlobe.

"There is a child present," she reminded him before kissing his cheek. "Go have a shower, then we can decorate the tree."

Looking over at Jack Bucky smiled. "Avert your eyes kid, I gotta give my best girl a kiss before taking that shower," he warned.

Jack clapped both hands over his eyes, but peeked anyways.

Bucky grabbed Charlie, dipping her the way they did in those old Hollywood movies he kissed her passionately. She tasted like eggnog and coffee. He loved it. Lifting her back up he gave her one more peck on the nose before making his way to the shower.

"James, hold up. You forgot something," Charlie called after him after he took only a couple steps.

Turning back around he looked to see what he might have forgotten. Jogging after him Charlie came up and kissed him once more, sweetly on the lips. "Welcome home, handsome," she smiled before returning her attention to her Godson. Jack was peeking at them between the cracks in his fingers, but shut them promptly when Charlie noticed as she walked back.

Grinning like an idiot Bucky walked to the bedroom to grab some jeans and a fresh shirt before heading to the shower. Charlie always did that after he'd return home from a mission; and every time he fell for it as they recreated their first kiss, and it always managed to put a smile on his face no matter what kind of day he was happy. It was the little things like that he thanked God for Charlie.

* * *

He returned to the kitchen ten minutes later smelling of pine and soap, his hair still damp. The smell of sweet cinnamon filled the air as several candles burned and Sinatra played over the speakers. Jack was the first to greet Bucky after his shower, handing him one of the decorated gingerbread men.

"This one's yours," Jack explained pointing to the cookie. Looking down Bucky saw what he was pointing at. One of the arms was covered in white icing with silver candies, decorated with a red star. It was him. His throat tightened a little, and uncomfortably he smiled at the kid. "Thanks buddy," he said before taking a bite. Yep, this was definitely store bought. Thank God.

Jack motioned for Bucky to lean down, he had something to tell him. Once the soldier was close enough Jack whispered in his ear voice saturated with concern, "Aunt Charlie doesn't know you used to be the Winter Soldier."

Bucky nearly choked on his cookie. Oh he was pretty sure that wasn't true, but decided to hear the kid out.

"But don't worry, I won't tell her," Jack whispered again, shaking his again.

Biting down on the inside of his lips to keep himself from laughing, Bucky thanked the kid, offering him a wink

"I take it I'm tackling this tree alone then?" Charlie called for them from the living room. Both Jack and Bucky hurried into the living room to give Charlie a hand before she found a new and creative way of hurting herself with the numerous boxes lying on the floor. Somehow in the ten minutes he was in the shower she managed to bring up and assemble the artificial tree she kept in storage with minimal damage done to herself, just a couple scrapes here and there, and one superficial cut on her finger.

Bucky got the lights untangled and on the tree while Charlie and Jack were on tinsel and ornament duty. Together the trio worked a fast pace, and soon the only thing left to do was place the angel on the tree.

Letting Jack climb onto his shoulders, Bucky stood tall and leaned in close to the tree so the boy could get the angel on the very top.

"Looks beautiful," Charlie sighed stepping back to admire their handy work.

Setting Jack back on the ground, Bucky stood back next to Charlie, wrapping his left arm around her waist. Charlie reacted by leaning over, resting her head on his shoulder, sighing contently as she stared at the tree. It really did look beautiful.

Jack stepped back to admire the tree with them, and Charlie scooped him up, holding him in her arms as though he weighed nothing. "We did good kid," she nodded to Jack as he grinned. "So what do you think we should do for dinner?" she asked the room in general. "Want to order a pizza?"

Jack turned and made a face at her as Charlie set him back down on the ground.

"No, of course not," Charlie laughed at the kid's response. "Hmmm" she pretended to ponder. "How about . . . burgers?" she asked goofily, leaning down to face Jack face to face as she said the word burgers.

"Yeah!" Jack agreed enthusiastically, throwing his arms around Charlie's neck. "Do you like burgers?" he asked looking over in Bucky's direction.

Stepping closer to the boy, Bucky adapted a tone similar to Charlie's. "I love them," Bucky agreed with a smile, chuckling as he watched Charlie's reaction.

"Alright, bundle up. I know a burger joint just a couple blocks down the street," Charlie managed to herd the guys towards the door. She had Jack dressed and ready to go in record time, meanwhile Bucky insisted on horsing around with her just to make Jack laugh. It started by grabbing the hat off Charlie's head and tossing it around, holding it out of reach as she leapt to try and grab it, then he held her gloves for ransom and wouldn't give them back until she kissed him.

* * *

As they walked down the streets Bucky shuddered. It hadn't been this cold when he left. "It's colder than Stalin's heart out here," he grumbled, " is this place much further?"

"See, this is what happens when you horse around and don't bundle up like Aunt Charlie tells you to," she replied smugly, giving Jack a knowing look.

Buck moved to make an inappropriate comment about 'Aunt Charlie' until he remembered the kid was there. Instead he kept his mouth shut and settled for making a face in Charlie's direction making Jack giggle. As they continued their walk, Bucky continued to goof with the boy, even letting him hang off his bionic arm.

Once they arrived and ordered Charlie got up from the table to go use the ladies room, leaving Jack and Bucky alone together with their food.

"Why does Aunt Charlie call you James, but Captain America calls you Bucky?" Jack asked taking a bite of his kids burger.

"Well you see kid, Bucky is a nickname that everyone calls me. But your aunt Charlie is the only one who calls me James, kind of makes it special. Even though it's my name, she's the only one who calls me that so it has kind of become a special nickname, you understand?"

"Yes," Jack nodded. It was like how everyone called his dad Hotch, even though his name was Aaron, although no one called him that unless he was in trouble.

"You can call me Bucky if you want, or if you're uncomfortable with that you could always call me James," Buck added after a moment. "Would you like that?" he asked quirking an eyebrow in the kid's direction.

Eagerly Jack nodded.

"Good," Bucky grinned before stealing a couple of the kid's fries.

"Hey," Jack cried between fits of giggles as Bucky proceeded to make funny faces in his direction. They continued their meal in peace once Charlie returned and shortly after they finished their meal they left to head back to the apartment. It was getting close to Jack's bedtime.

"Hey, have you heard from Steve?" Charlie asked as they started to walk up the stairs to their fourth floor apartment.

"Yeah, he'll be getting in late tonight. You wanna text him and let him know about the kid?" Bucky asked looking over at her.

Nodding, Charlie whipped her phone out to alert Steve and let him know that her Godson, who may or may not idol worship him, would be sleeping in the living room, so try to be quiet when does get in.

* * *

Once inside the apartment, she put the kettle on to make cups of hot cocoa for the boys and popped in 'A Muppet Christmas Carol,' Jack's favourite Christmas movie, into the DVD player for them to watch while she finished up the sketch for work. Bucky turned on the Christmas lights on the tree before bringing over the cocoa Charlie made from the kitchen. Jack curled up under a pile of blankets in the large armchair while Charlie and Bucky curled up on the couch. Charlie lay with her back against one arm of the couch with her legs draped over Bucky's lap, while he traced designs absent-mindedly on her leg as she sketched.

At some point during the bittersweet rendition of "the Love is Gone," Charlie finished her drawing and set it aside to be scanned to the office later. In the moment she got up and leaned over so she could curl up next to James, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. He moved from tracing designs on her legs to her arm, but it didn't bother Charlie any, in fact she was so accustomed to it, that she nudged his hand whenever he stopped. With every nudge against his hand, Bucky smiled, his girlfriend had him trained and he loved it.

After the movie ended, Charlie made up the hide a bed for Jack while he brushed his teeth in the washroom and Bucky called Steve to find out why he was so late. As Charlie tucked Jack under the cover she asked, "so what do you think of my friend?" unable to keep quiet any longer, she had to know what Jack thought of James.

"Aunt Charlie," Jack said giving her the sassiest, most serious look she'd ever seen on a ten year-old. "You can stop lying," he giggled. "I know you and Bucky are more than friends the same way Auntie Penelope and uncle Derek are more than friends."

"What?" Charlie asked, doing her best to sound scandalized. "Who told you?" she placed her hands on her hips as dramatically as possible. "Tell me," she leaned down, tickling Jack for information as he writhed about on the make shift bed giggling away.

"No one told me, I figured it out," he gasped trying to breath amidst all the giggling.

"Well you're a pretty smart kid," Charlie smiled, ruffling his hair. "Just like your dad." She paused, adopting a serious tone she asked, "so what do you think of James?"

"I like him," replied Jack almost immediately with a grin.

"Yeah?" Charlie asked a grin blooming on her face, looking down at the ground in a, 'aw shucks,' kind of way.

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "He's funny, and he's pretty cool. Plus he loves you, like a lot."

"You think so?" mused Charlie, shooting him a surprised look. "Why do you say that?"

"Because," Jack shrugged, " he looks at you the same way dad looks at pictures of mom."

There were times Charlie was blown away by just how profoundly wise, and perceptive children could be. This was one of those moments. Getting down on to her knees she held Jack tight in a heartfelt hug, hoping to pass off the love and affection she felt for the little boy. "You want to say good night to your mom?" she asked getting up to grab the matches to light the candle. Together they lit the green candle, watching the little flame flicker and dance in the glass jar. Charlie set the candle in Jack's hands so he could talk to his mom.

"I miss you mommy," he said watching the flame. "I'm having a lot of fun at aunt Charlie's. Today we decorated gingerbread men, and she took me to the Captain America exhibit at the museum so I could write my paper on my hero. Her boyfriend is a lot of fun too, he's real silly and makes Aunt Charlie smile. I like that he does that." Jack added, "I love you mom," before handing the candle to Charlie for her to say hello.

"Hi Haley," Charlie teared up looking at Jack who was watching her. "You have an absolutely wonderful little boy. You and Aaron did real good with him. We miss you sweet heart. Take care of yourself okay? And raise a little bit of hell for them angels for me, you hear?" Charlie smiled handing the candle back to Jack for him to blow out.

"Okay, lights out bud," Charlie brushed the hair from his eyes, kissing his forehead. Then she launched into a kiss attack, tickling him and kissing his face pretending she was trying to eat it.

"Aunt Charlie," Jack squealed with laughter, "you're being silly."

"I am aren't I?" Charlie chuckled before giving him one final kiss. "Night kiddo. Have a good sleep."

"Night aunt Charlie, I love you."

"Back at you kid," Charlie smiled as she turned off the lights. Getting up she found James waiting for her on the outskirts of the living room, leaning up against the back wall. He waited for her to approach before wrapping an arm around her waist and escorted her to their bedroom.

* * *

Bucky waited till the door was closed before saying, "Jack's a great kid."

"Yeah, Hotch and Haley did a wonderful job with him," Charlie agreed peeling off her many layers. She stood in wait for James to hand her the shirt he had been wearing. She use to wear actual pyjamas, but after moving in with James she didn't seem to bother anymore. Now she always wore the tee shirt James wore during the day – he didn't seem to mind given that he preferred to sleep shirtless anyways.

"And you're amazing with him," Bucky admitted, coming up behind her, resting his forehead on her shoulder. "You're a real natural when it comes to kids." He paused, trying to figure whether it was worth asking or not, before deciding to just go for it. "Have you ever thought about having any of your own?"

Reaching behind her, Charlie pressed a hand affectionately against his cheek. This was the first time in their relationship either one of them had brought up the idea of having kids. Turning around to face him, she smiled at his praise. "Nah," her smile fell to the floor. "I mean first of all I never found anyone who was willing to have them with me."

James scoffed. He still found it hard to believe that she never dated seriously until he came around, not only was she a knockout, she had a heart as pure as gold to match.

"But my dad being who he was," she faltered slightly. "I don't want any kid having to go through life knowing their grandfather was a monster – I couldn't do that someone, not after what I went through."

Bucky nodded, a little surprised by her answer, but he understood where she was coming from. God, did he understand. Though, for being the adult child of a serial killer, he found Charlie handled living with her dad's reputation pretty well considering how else it could have turned out.

"What about you?" she asked looking up at him. Her fingers toyed with his as she brought him closer to her, so he stood between her legs as she sat on the bed.

He shrugged. "I thought about it, back in the forties, before the war. I imagined what life would be like to be married to a beautiful dame and a bunch of little rug rats running around. But now," he looked down taking a deep breath. "Now it's a different story, with what I've done, and what they made me into I don't think I could. I don't even know if I physically could... you know," he flushed slightly, " what with what HYD... " he choked on the word, still unable to say it aloud. He was getting closer though. Made it to the D this time. Most times just thinking about the name HYDRA made him tongue-tied and he couldn't even get past the H. "With what they did to me," he replied darkly.

Grazing the side of his face, Charlie pulled him down on to the bed next to her. "You would be a wonderful father," she assured him, smiling deeply into his baby blue eyes before kissing the tip of his nose.

James dismissed what she said by exhaling through his teeth. That was doubtful. He was too unpredictable. Between his mood swings, and his temper combined with his strength, it wouldn't be safe for a child to be around him for prolonged periods of time.

"Were I ever to change my mind about having kids; I'd want to have them with you, and you alone," she assured him taking his hand in hers. No one had ever made Charlie even entertain the idea about reconsidering having kids, until she met James.

Bucky pulled Charlie in close, kissing her sweetly. "I love you babe. So. Damn. Much," her smiled at her, smoothing a few stands from her face before kissing her again.

Charlie smiled as she leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you too. So. Damn. Much."

They crawled under the blankets, with Bucky lifting her up onto his chest, and her leg draped over his so it rested between his thighs. Reaching over on to the nightstand he grabbed the book they were reading, 'Game of Thrones: Clash of Kings,' and started reading to her. It had been her idea to have him read in Russian to her. It helped normalize it for him, to domesticate the language that had once been used purely for 'work,' and integrate it into his daily life. Eventually the positive memories he associated with the language, the images of Charlie curled up next to him listening intently, often tapping her fingers in time with the beat of his heart, replaced the memories he associated with the language due to his work for HYDRA. At least that was Charlie's theory, and so far it was working. Since he started reading Charlie her 'bed time stories' he no longer felt his heart rate increase dramatically, nor hear the sound of gun fire, whenever he spoke the language – he saw her, with her hair splayed out on his chest, the soft inhalation of her breath as she listened. It became an incredibly calming experience for him.

Plus the reading helped Charlie, who was still learning the language. She was completely self-taught, the same way she'd learned most things. She had already picked up great deal of the vocabulary just listening to him and Natasha speaking to one another, and Google helped her with some of the grammar. In little over a year she picked up the language better than any SHIELD operative had, including Steve - much to his chagrin. They started their little tradition shortly after she moved in; he would read a couple sentences, and then asked her to explain to him what was happening. She was usually spot on, but every now and them she would be confused and he would explain the scene for her. It became their thing. They had maybe read two chapters aloud, and then when he asked Charlie for a summary he noticed that she had drifted off without him.

Chuckling to himself he put the book aside, and turned the lights off before pulling the blanket up over them.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie woke in a cold bed. Opening a groggy eye she noticed the spot next to her, where James usually slept, was empty. Sitting up she looked around, her heart set to an immediate panic. Usually when he woke before her – which rarely happened – he waited in bed, usually reading or content to watch her sleep. He never had long to wait. Charlie was always an early riser. Sliding into an old pair of flannel pyjama pants Charlie got up and wandered out into the hallway where she was greeted to the sound of Sunday morning cartoons trickling down from the living room.

Rounding the corner into the living room she found Jack and James curled up on the couch, watching cartoons. James had his usual morning cup of coffee sitting on the table while Jack worked on a glass of orange juice, wearing matching expressions of awe as they watched their show. Neither one of the boys seemed to notice Charlie's presence immediately, too caught up in the antics of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Leaning against the back wall she watched them, a tender smile on her face. It was a nice sight, and warmed her heart. The feeling she had while watching her boyfriend and godson bond over cartoons made Charlie wonder if this was how the Grinch felt when his heart grew three times at the end of the story.

Looking away from the television set when the commercials came on, Jack noticed Charlie leaning against the wall watching them. "Aunt Charlie," he cried getting up from the couch and running over to give her a great big hug.

"Morning, bud," Charlie greeted by wrapping her arms around him. "You and James having fun watching cartoons?" she asked looking up at James.

A luminous grin broke out on his face when he saw her. Getting up off the couch he moseyed over to her. "We didn't wake you, did we gorgeous?" he asked after giving her a quick peck.

"Nah," she replied with a shake of her head. "Got any more of that coffee?" she wondered still tasting his on her lips.

"I'll get you a cup," he promised, giving her another quick kiss before disappearing into the kitchen.

Charlie followed Jack back over to the couch where he and James had been watching television. Charlie curled up at the far end of the couch when James set down a fresh mug of coffee in her favourite Christmas mug with the Nutcracker and mouse on it.

"Mhmm, you know me too well," she smiled taking a sip of coffee as James sat next to her on the couch. Leaning over she curled up nice and close to him as he proceeded to drape an arm around her shoulders. It was a perfect morning.

They watched another twenty-minutes of cartoons together in a comfortable silence until Steve walked through the front door. Then all three sets of eyes turned to watch him.

"Are you just getting home?" Charlie asked, getting up from the couch to help Steve with his things. He left with nothing more than a simple sports bag, and came back with what appeared to be half of Manhattan.

"Yeah, Steve greeted her with a quick kiss on either side of her cheek – the way one might greet an in-law, which was basically how Steve saw Charlie, his sister in-law. "I stayed in New York last night at Stark's tower, decided that I might as well do some Christmas shopping. Stark just flew me back this morning." He explained before greeting Bucky.

A sharp gasp from behind them, caused Charlie to turn round and notice the wide-eye look of surprise and undeniable excitement on Jack's face. Looking back at Steve she whispered, "I think there is someone who wants t meet you."

Following behind Charlie, Steve came into the living room where Jack remained in his seat, completely transfixed by Steve's presence. Charlie bent down in front of Jack, "hey buddy, I want you to meet my other room mate. This is Steve Rogers."

Jack tore his gaze off of Steve for only a second to whisper, "you live with Captain America?" in total awe.

Charlie nodded, "yeah, Steve is a friend of mine." Looking back at Steve she offered him a friendly little smile before noticing James, who remained impassive by the door. She worried this might happen. James and Jack had been getting a long so well, but Steve was Jack's hero, naturally James might feel a tinge of jealousy to be cast aside so quickly in favour of his friend. Damn, did he have this brooding thing perfected. Getting up, to give Steve and Jack some space, she wandered over to where Bucky remained by the door.

"Cheer up, Superman," she took his hand in hers, kissing the inside palm. "You're still a big damn hero to me." Wrapping her arms around his waist she nuzzled her head up against his chest.

Wrapping his arms around her he rested his chin on her head. "What would I do without you?" he wondered morosely. He hated that he was jealous of Steve. Steve was a good guy; he always had been even when he was still just a tiny stick of a man, and couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without having an asthma attack. More importantly, Steve was his best friend and it was about damn time he was recognized for how good of a person he was – only Bucky knew that wasn't what happened. People didn't love Steve Rogers – they loved what he became, they loved Captain America. They didn't know the Steve he knew.

Ever since Steve became Captain America, Bucky had been pushed aside in the public eye. All anyone ever seemed to remember about him was that he was 'Captain America's best friend' or that he was the Winter Soldier, a bad guy. That's all anyone ever saw him as, HYDRA's mindless puppet.

"Well fortunately, you won't ever have to find out," Charlie promised, squeezing him even tighter. "Come on grumpy cat," she teased looking up at him. "Let's go make breakfast."

"Have you guys eaten?" she hollered over into the living room.

Both Jack and Steve looked up at Charlie, shaking their heads.

"Good, I'm just about to get started on breakfast," she smiled, heading into the kitchen with James in tow. "You want to help me Jack?" she asked looking over at the kid.

Getting up excitedly he ran into the kitchen. "Can we have our usual?" he asked excitedly as Charlie helped him up on to the counter.

"I dunno, bud," she exaggerated a sigh. "Let me see if I have everything we need." Walking over to the fridge freezer she opened the door and pretended to rummage about inside. "Well what do you know," she gasped in surprise looking back at a grinning Jack. "Freezer waffles," she pulled out the box, "and oh my. Now who would have guessed that I would have an unopened tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream? Who do I know who loves mint chocolate chip ice cream?" she pondered with a smile.

"Me! I do!" cried Jack falling for her charade.

"That's right," gushed Charlie. "It's almost like I knew you were coming and would be wanting waffle ice cream sandwiches for breakfast," she teased as she pulled the tub of ice cream from the freezer.

"I'm sorry, waffle ice cream what now?" asked Steve staring at the items on the kitchen counter.

"Waffle ice cream sandwiches," explained Charlie with a chuckle at the matching bewildered expressions on the Super Soldiers faces. "My dad use to make them for us whenever it was our birthday, or a special occasion. I started making them for Jack years ago when he started staying with me. It is the one recipe I can not ruin." She popped a couple waffles into the toaster and cracked open the ice cream.

Ten minutes later all four of them sat around the table eating the ice cream sandwiches. Much to Steve and Bucky's surprise they actually tasted pretty good, but they understood why it was something only made for special occasions it was an incredibly sweet breakfast. Gathering the plates, Charlie carried the dirty dishes into the kitchen to be washed.

"Babe, why don't you leave those," Buck said following her into the kitchen. "You made breakfast, so why don't you leave the dishes for me and Steve to do."

"Deal," she agreed turning to face him after placing the dishes in the sink. No matter how many times she argued with them about it, they still refused to use the dishwasher. Leaning up on her toes she brushed a crumb from the corner of his mouth with the pad of her thumb before kissing him.

They were interrupted when Charlie heard her phone buzz from in the living room where she left it to charge over night. Untangling herself from James' arms she darted out to get it.

"Rhys," she said, holding the phone up to her ear. "Hey Aaron," she greeted with a smile. "Everything is fine... Oh come on Hotch, you know the only one I send to the hospital is me... You have a good time with Beth?... Jack? Yeah he's right here, one sec." Turning around she found Jack standing behind her. "It's your dad. He wants to say hi," she explained handing the phone off to Jack.

"Hi dad," he greeted excitedly. "Yep, I'm having lots of fun with Aunt Charlie. Did you know she lives with Captain America... Yeah – he's super cool... Aunt Charlie made us Waffle Ice cream sandwiches and we decorated gingerbread cookies," he said excitedly.

"Way to rat me out kid," Charlie accused as Jack handed the phone back to her. "Hi again... No he only had two cookies, and one sandwich... He's a kid; of course it was loaded with icing and candy like I'm going to be able to stop that... I am just one single person... what does being an agent have to do with anything?... Well, at least he got the report done... Yes sir," she grinned. "Alright, I'll see you then Aaron. Ciao." Ending the call she looked at her boys. "Alright kid, your dad's going to be here in an hour. So, why don't you go get yourself cleaned up, and I'll get your things together while the guys tackle the kitchen?"

Jack nodded, and headed towards the bathroom to wash his face and change out of the shirt Charlie had given him to sleep in, and back into his regular clothes. Meanwhile Charlie gathered up the few things he had strewn about the apartment, and tidied up the rest of the living room before going to her room to throw on some jeans, and her old Vassar College hoodie.

By the time there was a knock at the door forty-five minutes later, the four of them were back watching television with Jack nestled between Steve and James, as Charlie sat on the chair with her sketchpad. When she heard the same brusque triad at the door she got up form her seat, instructing Jack to grab his bag, and opened the door for Aaron, inviting him in.

Both Steve and James got off the couch as well to greet Hotch. Moments later Jack came running out to greet him. "Dad!" He cried as he flew into his father's arms.

"Hey bud," Hotch beamed. "You and Aunt Charlie have lots of fun together?"

Jack nodded vigorously. "We went to the museum, and Aunt Charlie let me pick out a souvenir from the gift shop," he babbled excitedly.

"Yeah, what'd you pick?" Hotch asked looking up at Charlie who shrugged.

"Don't look at me, the kid wouldn't show me."

Aaron thanked her anyways, and helped Jack get into his winter gear. "Okay bud, we gotta go. So why don't you say thank-you to your Aunt Charlie for having so much fun with you, and say goodbye to everyone."

"Thank-you Aunt Charlie," chirped Jack, giving her one final hug.

"Anytime kiddo," she grinned leaning down to hug him properly.

"It was nice meeting you Captain Rogers." He nodded in Steve's direction. Steve bent down to give the kid a hug as well.

"Back at you, son," Steve nodded with a wink.

"Bye Uncle Bucky," Jack said giving James an extra long hug goodbye.

Everyone froze. James stood rod still as the boy hugged him, simply too stunned to move or speak. Uncle Bucky. He was Uncle Bucky. Stiffly, he turned his head to look at Charlie who looked as though she might start crying at a moment's notice, especially when she saw the biggest grin blossom on his face. Taking a step closer to him, she wrapped an arm around his waist. He rested one arm against the boy's back as Charlie leaned over to kiss his temple.

"I'll see you tomorrow at Quantico," Hotch said to Charlie once Jack let go of Bucky's legs and took his dad's hand, ready to head for home.

"I'll be there," Charlie agreed watching the two walk down the hall towards the elevator. Jack turned back and gave her one final wave before getting in. Waving back she waited until they were out of sight before locking the door behind her.

Walking back to James she wrapped her arms around his waist holding him tight, and yawned. She loved having Jack, but now she was ready for a nap. Taking care of a kid, even one as well behaved and sweet natured as Jack, exhausted her. Snuggling her face in the crook of his neck she heaved a content sigh.

Reading her mind, James led her over to the couch where they both collapsed, for a well deserved nap. Meanwhile Steve went into his room to go change before meeting up with Sam for coffee in town.

* * *

The following week Charlie came home after spending almost a week in South Dakota with the team investigating a series or murders spanning the last three months, tired but with a smile on her face.

"Hey gorgeous," James greeted her from the couch as she walked through the door. Pausing whatever movie he was watching he got up from the couch and met her by the door, taking her go back from her as she removed her holster and planted a sweet kiss on her forehead. "How'd it go in Texas?"

"South Dakota," she corrected him. "We caught the guy hiding out in some old cabin of his dad's in the woods. Long Story." Digging deep in the pockets of her charcoal blazer she produced a small bundle of folded paper.

"What's that?" Buck asked staring at the small bundle.

"It's from Jack. It's the report he wrote last weekend about his hero. Wanted you to have it," she explained handing the papers to him.

"Me?" asked Bucky looking down at the paper. Light was best on the couch just under their floor lamp, so Bucky waited to unfold the paper until he and Charlie were sitting on the couch. She was itching to change into something a little more comfortable but she wanted to be there as James read the report.

It was about him. The title at the top of the page read, "My Uncle Bucky." Jack had chosen him to be his hero; in the report he explained that he made his choice based on the conversation's he'd had with his Aunt Charlie. Before they left for the museum he saw a picture of her with a strange man and in the picture she was happier than he had ever seen her, and then at the museum he recognized the man in the picture as being James Buchanan Barnes, best friend to Steve Rogers who would later become Captain America. He talked about the special kind of strength Bucky had for joining the good guys even after all the bad things he was forced to do as the Winter Soldier, and just because he did bad things didn't mean he was a bad man.

It was the last paragraph that touched Bucky the most however. It talked about Charlie, and how a lot of bad things happened to her because of her dad, and it made her the toughest person Jack knew, but she was also found the strength to be the silliest too and it was a strength she shared with Bucky. But even though she smiled around Jack she still didn't smile a lot, until she started to date Bucky. What really made Bucky his hero was that he took a very good person like his Aunt Charlie and made her even better. To him that was what being a hero is about, not just trying to make bad people good, but making good people better too.

Finishing the report James look at Charlie as she smiled back at him. "I told you, you were a damn big hero. Looks like Jack agrees with me," she laced her fingers with his as he kissed the top of her hand. "Don't you know," she chuckled looking at him, "the hero always gets the girl," before leaning in to kiss him.

Leaving the paper forgotten on the coffee table, Bucky leaned back on the couch with Charlie resting on top of him. His fingers threaded in her hair as he deepened the kiss while his other hand snaked around her waist pressing her firmly against him.

If this was how it felt to be a hero – he was all for it.


End file.
